Not very satisfied!

[greatbritishhoney]

And some of you need to just cool it a bit as the facts are no all here by any means, so before yelling off with the head lets see hmm?

PH

I don't think anyone is saying that PH - but people may like to know what sort of product/service they can expect from a particular supplier.
Personally, I like to deal with companies where I don't have to make multiple calls or e-mails to get what I think I ordered.

It's just someone giving their opinion of a product - plenty of instances of that happening on the forum. I don't think anyone has suggested any more than that. I don't see the need for secrecy.

But, it's up to the OP to decide what to do - not us.

 

[psafloyd]

Thank you all very much for your varied opinions about what I should do next. Tonight I will look at the bees, look up exactly what I was told originally, read the BBKA leaflet, and send an email.

I will report back here when I have a reply, and if it is not a helpful one then I will publish the name.

Helen

Excellent. Let's see what happens.

 

[psafloyd]

i disagree. A vendor may well sort out an individual complaint to the satisfaction of that customer but then carry on regardless.

Letting the wider community know the nature of items for sale is part of the function of sites like this.

It doesn't mean you can badmouth people based on a single sample, though, DrS.

Once resolved either way, Helen can fill us in on who and what was involved so it can be recorded. That, surely, is a much fairer solution?

 

[For want of a better word]

This is my first year with bees, and I started back in February by ordering (online) two nucs for the end of May/beginning June.

Then I realised what was available locally, and bought an overwintered nuc and then later a full hive, from two different, equally helpful people. Both are doing really well, in spite of some early mis-management of the nuc.

Last Friday we collected the expensive nucs I had ordered. On Saturday morning we transferred them to our hives, and found they had no stores at all - just empty comb where they had eaten all their stores.

I know bees are hungry at the moment (I am feeding both my AS hives and the small swarm we collected, and my original two are seadily eating everything in their supers) but I did expect that they would have been fed well enough to arrive with stores! Thank goodness we didn't leave them in the travel boxes for the full 24 hours we were advised!

My second reason for being a little unhappy is that my understanding of buying a nucleus was that I could expect a queen with the first of her own progeny - but I have a nuc where the queen had been introduced just a few days before.

Do I have any grounds to grumble? Or is this par for the course?
I have not yet done a full inspection - just transferred them quickly to the hives (and topped up the contact feeders everyday so far).

Any comments appreciated.

Helen my sweet!
CERTAINLY NOT PAR FOR THE COURSE... OF COURSE YOU MUST GRUMBLE

and I feel you have good reasons to.... nice to see the usual claptrap being bandied about by the HORNETS of this forum​

 

[greatbritishhoney]

i disagree. A vendor may well sort out an individual complaint to the satisfaction of that customer but then carry on regardless.

Letting the wider community know the nature of items for sale is part of the function of sites like this.

Exactly. If I'm thinking about buying a nuc I look on the forum. I find 10 people who say that XXX supplier delivered something that wasn't up to the standard they had hoped whereas another 10 people say that YYY supplier delivered a thriving nuc, up to standard, on time etc etc.
Decision made. It's not spiteful or unreasonable to post a product review.

 

[susbees]

Helen my sweet!
CERTAINLY NOT PAR FOR THE COURSE... OF COURSE YOU MUST GRUMBLE

and I feel you have good reasons to.... nice to see the usual claptrap being bandied about by the HORNETS of this forum​

You've changed your tune from earlier. Not. Still stirring. Shame about the awful font...why do you feel the need to use it?

 

[Poly Hive]

GBH? I was refering to this subtle comment.

NAME AND SHAME! which to my mind came under the heading of claptrap not to mention knee jerking tripe.

PH

 

[greatbritishhoney]

GBH? I was refering to this subtle comment.

NAME AND SHAME!

PH

Fair point. Name and shame is a bit strong.

 

[the worker and the drone]

Would like to know where they came from, you need to be sure your queen isn't drone laying. £180 is going on a bit, well unless it's a big colony that you can split, but it doesn't sound big enough.

 

[drstitson]

"The BBKA can write what they want it has no standing apart from being an advisory piece."

It's a shame there is no longer an official british standard for nucs.

 

[Skyhook]

Would like to know where they came from, you need to be sure your queen isn't drone laying.

Although, to be fair, there's no reason it should be.

 

[DontWorryBeeHappy]

Helen,

As others have said look back at what the seller offered to supply and then compare that to what they did supply. If the two are different you have a case to argue.

Personally, I would write to the seller explaining why you are unhappy. Give them a fair chance to respond because they may have genuinely made an error or have an explanation that none of us are aware of. None of us is perfect (although reading some views on hear maybe some people are!) Pointing out the problem in a calm and rational manner and allowing the seller a reasonable chance to resolve the matter to mutual satisfaction may well solve the problem to everyones satisfaction very quickly. Alway communicate in writing to avoid any misunderstanding.

If the reasonable approach fails you could take action through the Small Claims Court. You simply go to the court, fill in some very simple forms and register your claim. There is a small fee to pay but Court staff will explain the fee and the process to you. In summary they notify the seller of your complaint, he or she has chance to respond and then both of you attend Court and argue your case in Court. If the seller fails to turn up at Court, which often happens, then the Court will simply listen to your case and in the lack of a defense they will most likely rule in your favour. It's an informal setting and you don't need a solicitor. Simples!

If you have sent the friendly letter to the seller that's good evidence toward your case at Court but hopefully the friendly letter will resolve the problem before you have to even consider Court.

I don't agree with "name and shame" at this early stage, give the seller a chance to sort it in a friendly way first.

 

[DanBee]

Last Friday we collected the expensive nucs I had ordered. On Saturday morning we transferred them to our hives, and found they had no stores at all - just empty comb where they had eaten all their stores.

My second reason for being a little unhappy is that my understanding of buying a nucleus was that I could expect a queen with the first of her own progeny - but I have a nuc where the queen had been introduced just a few days before.

This is a familiar tale of disappointment, and I'm willing to bet you drove across the country to collect them. The poorly made-up nuc with hastily introduced queen, sold to beginners, is something of a trademark of one particular outfit. In your case you were fortunate not to have been issued with instructions to release the queen from her cage after two days...

Whilst the others are correct that there is no formal standard for a nucleus colony, the BBKA guidance encompasses what can and should be reasonably expected of a nuc. There is no british standard definiton of what a 'car' is, but you still have redress against a car dealer if the vehicle you purchased was not of sufficient standard. It's not like you got them for a knock-down price either!

 

[greatbritishhoney]

No one's perfect, but you can bet they focus their minds on doing the job properly if they know they are under scrutiny.

 

[Beezer]

I disagree.
Any decent supplier would have known exactly what they were selling here. Resolving the problem when you get caught out does not constitute good customer service.
I think naming and shaming is a fair way of saying if you buy from this particular supplier you need to be wary.
As the OP said - the bees were pratically starving when they arrived.

Making people aware of poor service might help stop them preying on the unwary or new to the hobby.

 

[theengraver]

The First question that springs to my mind Did you inspect the nucs?
Every nuc i sell i insist the buyer inspects every frame if there a beginner i give them the
BBKA leaflet of there guide lines ( they are only guide lines)
and if there happy a deal is done.
If you buy a cardboard box without looking inside you only have your self to blame !

 

[oliver90owner]

It was I who originally posted - re naming the source.

But unfortunately some simply don't read the post. The word 'redress' was a proviso.

However Norfolk, local, gives a hint. Norwich comes immediately to mind. Cardboard box got a couple suppliers off the list (particularly the business which has got a lot of stick lately, on the forum).

I am now quietly suggesting the lady looks up what European Foul Brood looks like and checks her bees very carefully over the coming weeks.

If the supplier turns out to be the same as got a lot of stick for distributing diseased colonies around the country (and refusing redress to the unfortunate buyers), then naming would be good, even if redress was reasonably swift in this case.

I will PM the OP with the supplier (and the poster who got a raw deal last year). Until all the info is sorted of what may be an isolated and corrected problem, or a commonly recurrent theme from one particular supplier, just hang-fire.

Helen - watch your PMs. (sometimes can't send them so may not be exactly instantaneous!)

Regards, RAB

 

[HelenX]

However Norfolk, local, gives a hint.


Thanks Rab, but no - the ones I am happy with were the local ones! It is DanBee who, I think, has hit the nail on the head regarding the supplier - he has clearly seen this before!

I have now found eggs in one nuc (not the queen, as I stopped looking once I had found eggs). I have not yet seen eggs in the other, as it started to rain when I opened it.

I will post updates as and when
H

 

[Hivemaker.]

It does not sound like the one Dan is thinking about,sounds like one a bit further East?

 

[For want of a better word]

You've changed your tune from earlier. Not. Still stirring. Shame about the awful font...why do you feel the need to use it?

Same tune different music !
I suspect a HORNET here !

I like Comic Sans M S font

my choice !!